Clamp



1934- 'r. BIRKENMAIER r AL 1,932,281

CLAMP Filed April 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG].

1934- T. BIRKENMAIER 51m. 1,982,231

CLAMP v Filed April 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 27, 1934 UNlTED STATES CLAMP Theodore Birkenmaier, St. Louis, and Lester Pierce Boll, University City, Mo., assignors to W. N. Matthews Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri I Application April 4, 1932, Serial No. 602,924

2 Claims.

- This invention relates to clamps, and with regard to certain more specific features to a mousing clamp for fastening wire, rope, cable and similar strands.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of an improved, simplified, non-sliding clamp particularly adapted to be used as a guy cable mousing and more generally to hold a variety of strands; .the provision .of a clamp of the class described. which is formed in one piece and which is applied by a simple operation; the provision of a clamp of the class described which is adapted to tightly and positively clamp a strand without becoming accidentally removed or sliding, but which is relatively easily willfully removable; and the provision of a clamp of this class which is inexpensive to manufacture. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of the invention applied to a guy strand;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said form of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 4 is a cross sectiontaken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing said second form;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 6 as applied to mousing a guy cable, the view being taken along line '77 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a third form of the invention;

' Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing said third form;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing said third form,'said View being taken substantially along line 10-10 of Fig. 8; and,

Fig. 11 is a cross section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 8.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown at numeral 1 a cable or strand passed through an eye 3 of a guy rod or the like and clamped by a guy clamp 5. The end 9 of the guy strand 1 is terminated at an object to be guyed by the strand 1, and the loose end 7 is secured to the strand 1 by means of a mousing clamp 11 comprised in the invention herein.

The term strand in the present specification and claims is inclusive of strands adapted to function for all purposes and includes wire, rope, cable and the like.

Formerly, the means used to secure a loose end such as 7 comprised windingwire or the like around the two strand ends 7 and 9. This method of fastening the end 7, however, was unsatisfactory for the reason that undue amount of time was consumed in completing such a binding of the 7 loose end '7 to the main strand, and furthermore, there was difficulty incurred in removing the mousing in the event that it became necessary to tighten the strand 1. This involved removing the clamp 5, pulling the loose end, 7 farther through the eye 3 and replacing the clamp 5. One of the objects of the mousing is to protect anything which may come in contact With the strand 1 from becoming engaged with the loose end '7, and the Wire that was used to bind the loose end 7 to the strand 1, of itself provided loose ends which were also likely to touch or endanger objects coming in contact with the binding. We have overcome the difiiculties which ensued in using the old form of mousing and have provided a onepiece band or clamp for such purposes ashereinbefore mentioned by way of example. This mousing is easily applied to fasten the loose end 7 and is also easily removable therefrom, in the event that such removal becomes necessary, but i will not slip out of location.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, there is shown at numeral 11 a clamp formed from a preferably soft, metal stock such as aluminum, copper, galvanized iron,; or the like. The clamp 11 has walls 13 and 15 extending from the plane of the back'l'l.

Each wall of leg 13 and 15 has ledges 21'bent out therefrom. The ledges extend far enough out to provide the relatively flat areas 23 and, as shown in Fig. 2, extending along the sides of the walls 13 and 15. v

The back 17 has struck up therefrom a spur 2, the plane of which is substantially centrally located withhrespect to the back 17, and which is also longitudinally positioned. The spur 2 has for its purpose the separation of lengths of cable which are laid between the walls 13 and 15, and the spur 2 is of such a length that it extends above or to the center lines of the cable, without entering into the helical channels between the strands composing said cable. The point is, that the spur 2 is tangent to the enclosed cables and does not depend for gripping upon prying into the cable itself.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the clamp 11 is shown positioned over the ends 9 and 7 of the strand 1 and pliers or a like tool are applied to the exterior ledges 21. It willbeunderstijo that the central or interior spu1 2 has'beeh applied 'b'etween the ends 7 and 9 of .the cable, as shown in Fig. 4. In order to form or curl the clamp 11 over the ends 7 and 9, the jaws-6r theplier'sare pinched together, and thereby force the walls 13 and 15 together and around the strand 1 until the ends of the walls are juxtapositioned; see numeral 31. A rocking contact between'theplier jaws and the ledges 21 is provided byed'ges 240i the ledges 21 so that as the walls 13 and15 are forced around into'a substantially closing position over the cableends 7 and 9, the jaws'fin'ally actdirectlyon the flat areas 23 to further force the ends ofthe walls 13-and15 together and conseduently't'o clamp the clamp 11 tightly around the two portions of the strand 1 (see U. S. Patent 1,853,891).

The resulting structure as shown in Fig. 1 whereinthe interior spur or lug 2 functions as a separator to provide slight bulges 4 in' the cable; whereas the ends of the clamp in being-pinched inwardly tend to compress together the lengths of cable, asshown at numeral 6. Figs. 1 and 3 show the clamp ll'thus tightly positioned or clamped around' the ends 7 and 9. 'It is apparent that it is not possible'for the clamp to sliplongitudinally alongthe' cable without a positive endwise force being applied, that is to say, it'will not creep of its own accord nor under Vibration. This is because the'holding inaction of the ends 'of the clamp, due to pinching in of the cable prevents the upstanding interior spur 2 from moving. There is'a holdingan'd wedging action preventing movement either way.

*A relatively soft, though not'wholly inelastic metal is preferable because it is more easily formed'and does not tend to reopen after being formed to its desired position. The metals enume'r'ated have sufiicient' elasticity to effect the above-mentioned effects and'a're' still soft enough to be satisfactorily bent by thepliers.

Re ferring now to Figs. '5 to 7, there isshown a modification of the clamp 11' inwhich the'wall 15 is used. However, the back, which'has been renumbered as 27 in general, hasa 'wideportion 29'and a narrow portion 31, said "wide portion 29 having a side wall 33 and said narrow portion 31 having a sidewall 35. Sidewardledges 37a1'e formed from'the walls 15 and 3 3 and such a separatepair" of ledges 39 are formed from the side walls'15' and 35. Two cables are adapted 'to lie the cable loop. Two pinching actions are then employed one on the ledges 3'7, and the other on the ledges 39. Thus the ledges 37 are pulled together over both lengths 7 and 9 of cable; whereas the ledges 39 are pulled together over only the continuous length 9 of said cable. v

, It will be seen that the outer end of the'clamp 11 draws together the cable; whereas the rearward'end conforms to a slight separation thereof,-said separation being due to the position of having the broad section 29 and the narrow sectioh31with acommon side 'wall 15 and'an op'positeside wall 33 for 'the broad section 29 with anopposite sidewall 35 for the narrow section 31. However, a common side-wall 15 isextended and shown at numeral 43, this portion being laid over after applying the cable as above described with the wall 35'betweenthem. That is to-say, inthis form, instead "of havinga portion-on the walls 33 and 35 which meet-the walls 15=inidway after clinching, all *of this meeting (portion is formed on the 'wall'15 which-'isbent over to realch the shorterwalls33and 35. 1

In'operatio'n, the form'of Figsx8'throu'gh 11 hasthe two cables 'cradled in the broad'back "29, onel'en'gth 9 of cable being" alsocradled in the narrow-back 31; whereasthe other length passes outsideof the wall- '35. Then the= extension-4-3 is bentagainst the upper ends of the walls '33 and 35, as shown in Fig. 11.

In view of the above, it will be seen thatthe several'objects' of the invention are"achieved" and other advantageous results attained.

' As many" changes couldbe made carrying out the above constructions without departing fromthescope of the inv'ention,-it is intended thatall matter'containe'd inthe' above "description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1." A cable clamp comprising a back "ahd side walls adapted to cradleat-least two-'lengths' of cableor the like, said sidehwalls being-bentover the cable, and means afii'xed to said clarripadapted to be positibn'e'd between"the-cable lengtlis when r the clamp is fastened thereto and being located along the longitudinal center '-'of'the 'back, "said last-named means comprising a single flat spur struck'up from said back and being composed-of material originally comprised in said"back,'--the side walls holding the cable lengths togetheradjacent to said spur, said spur having a plane -which is substantially parallel to the planesof said side walls.

2. -A cable? clamp having a'back and continuous, bendable side walls-adaptedto surround'ad jacent lengths of cableyand aflat membenextending up from said back'wallabetween the side walls and adapted to be interposed flatwisebe+ tween adjacent lengths of saidcablepsaid member being'less than---the-lengths of the side-- walls and being spaced inwardly from both ,ends-of-the clamp. 1 y p,

THEODORE BIRKENMAZEER.

. LESTER-PIERGIEeBOLL. '1 

